Rendered in India ink on paper in meticulous detail using a cross-hatching technique, these portraits suggest 17^th and 18^th century engravings but their bold scale, such as Grizzly Bear which measures over 82 inches high, is completely outside the conventions of a traditional print. After graduating in medieval studies from Harvard and pursuing a PhD in Emilian Romanesque sculpture at Princeton, the artist became fascinated by patterns and printmaking and delved into creating her own, but in pen and ink. She quickly gravitated to the natural world: “I found that animals had the most interesting patterns in nature. An owl’s feathers, a boar’s fur or an insect’s wing are all fascinating examples of patterns. I also love the idea of finding the beauty in animals which were considered ugly or dangerous by society.”

Loreto, who currently resides in Florence, Italy, has shown her work in both the United States and Europe, including at La Specola (the Museum of Zoology and Natural History), in Florence, and is currently collaborating with Professor Marco Masseti on an adventure mystery, Terra Incognita: travelogue from an island that doesn’t exist, accompanied by Loreto’s illustrations of strange, dangerous creatures from both mythology and the artist’s imagination.